Children playing in the garden

I think I agree with most of the other posters, every night until 10pm is a bit much! Maybe at the weekends, most people are fairly forgiving of late playing out and the occasional party if it's a weekend. But weeknights for a full week listening to the constant dribbling of a basketball and teenagers shouting (because that's how most tend to do it, you've admitted yourself they're not quiet)? 10pm is way too late to deal with that crap!

Is there not a park nearby?

Young teenagers making noise playing is weird

Is it? Why? It would be even more weird if they were totally silent! Have you ever come across any teenagers?

Well first of all, you don’t owe them anything. You pay for your house the same way they pay theirs. They aren’t more entitled because they’ve lived there longer. Your priority is making sure your children are having fun, although respectful of their surroundings as the same time and id make that abundantly clear.

id sincerely apologise again profusely , and say you’ll stick to the 10pm rule as per the agreement.

However if they continue their abuse/shouting you’ll be reporting them to the police for disturbance and harassment and you won’t stand for anyone disrespecting your children like that.

it’s your home. Not a bloody prison. Let the kids enjoy their summer.

Its rarely nice enough to play out until 10pm in the UK so I think kids should make the most of it! Kids should be outside, I apologised to my neighbours recently for my children playing out and they all told me not to worry and it was lovely to hear them play. Some people have such low tolerance to children.

Also, I think 10pm is fine and I have a toddler and am usually in bed myself looong before 10 and I’d be okay with ball games till 10.But if you have agreed that curfew with your neighbours then you’ve got to stick to it. I would speak to your children and maybe say the new curfew is 9.45, that way if they’re out past it it doesn’t matter.

This sort of thing is such a shame. Children of all ages need to be outside more, the rates of kinds getting outside time is reducing regularly. It’s great your kids are out and running around, such a shame it’s come to this.

If they are still playing and screaming at 10pm that bad form, if most nights it is properly antisocial and selfish.

You should not need a neighbour being pushed over the edge to realise this.

This, sorry but a burglary, criminal damage or hit & run doesn’t illicit a response in my area. Ignore yout kids have done nothing wrong

Don’t panic. I had a noise pollution order against me as a teenager (my parents went away and I had a week long party, I feel awful about it now) and we got a letter and nothing since. It wasn’t a big deal, I just behaved myself after that and it was never mentioned again.

Having seen your message about Basketball I have to comment again. Can you not realise how fucking annoying repeated ball bouncing on a hard surface must be? But to let this carry on until 10pm is REALLY antisocial.

OP I think you’ve probably been too accommodating and it’s made your neighbours think they are entitled to treat you and your children badly regardless of everything else.

I would go on the offensive a bit. Tell them you don’t appreciate the way they talked to your kids, that you have been keeping to the previous agreement and a reminder if they are late is fair enough and you will try not to be late. But the ending at 10 pm is a concession not something you’re obliged to do, so the aggression is unacceptable.

And stop mowing their lawn. How can you be so nice to neighbours who treat your children despicably? Your kids do need to be aware that they affect others when in the garden, that noise travels and we all have to get on. But they don’t need to be taught to be nice to people who are awful to them.

You can make noise up to 11pm

That does not make it acceptable. Making noise is not a de facto any noise until 11pm is acceptable. There are still limits as to what is appropriate.

Agree 10pm is too late for regular noise. 8.30 to 9 is a reasonable cut off.

And the police will probably just have a chat with you and not take it further.

10pm is too late for basketball - the noise of the ball hitting the ground must be very annoying for them - and everything sounds even louder at night when things are generally quieter. I think it’s very antisocial for them to be playing ball games this late. Being outside and chatting or playing board games quietly is a bit different.

Of course it is, they can't legally do a god damn thing about two boys playing basketball in their own garden.

Op has said they do so for an hour here and their only 50% of the week so not every day, the neighbours don't want them playing it at all by the sounds of it, tough luck.

And then to have the cheek to scream 2 minutes after 10 ( a whole hour before cut off time ) when they leave their dog to yap away that early which is an equally awful sound is beyond hypocritical.

If they can not stand any noise they need to move, people can use their gardens as they wish within the realm of legal limits.

Basketball .....a constant bouncing ball would drive most people nuts. How long are they doing that for? If it's all day, I can see why your neighbours are at their wits end.

Where does the OP say they are screaming?

I'm team your-kids-should-be-allowed-to-play-in-their-garden. Don't find it weird at all that teenagers would be out playing. Neither should they have to go to the park.

If you live in proximity to other people, you hear their noises. Our neighbours have young kids who are often out on their trampoline shouting and playing. And I'd probably rather it was quieter, but my wish for it be be quieter doesn't trump their right to play.

I guess you could try for a 'you guys ease off on the early morning barking and we'll stop the basketball at 9pm' if you wanted, but I don't see that your kids are doing anything wrong.

@I8toys

in a way I agree, BUT, after a full day of the neighbours kids 'playing' AKA screaming and bouncing the fuckingball I'm really done by 8 and I'd like to hear myself think in my own home. I don't expect silence just put the ball away.

@Boytwinmum maybe they were more tolerant when the boys were younger, too young to go to the park by themselves and just assumed once they were teenagers you'd tell them to do that. The people over the back of me have 4 kids, I've been here 13 years. Now as young adults they're still here loads (maybe on & off at Uni, not sure) with their mates kicking the ball around in the garden. There's a bloody football field across the road! Drives me to insanity. Their daughter is the youngest and so hopefully this summer we won't have any more 'playing' the recorder while bouncing on the trampoline. I'm surprised she still has all her teeth and hasn't done any serious damage to her mouth/throat.

the ones next to them have a pool & a trampoline & an outdoor bar. Every weekend & many evenings they invite their closest (500) friends. I envy their very social. social life & I don't really mind, but a little less often would be considerate.

I think your neighbours are being unreasonable. If they can't deal with the noise of kids playing and chatting on their own property they should move somewhere remote. Honestly the idea that they'd call the police for something like this unless there's a huge backstory is totally mad. I don't think there's much you can say to them though.

Basket ball is particularly annoying. There is something about the boing of a basket ball and the clunk as it hits the backboard that really grates!

People are making their own scenarios up and exaggerating.

Op said an hour max after coming home, they aren't even there 50% of the time.
I think the neighbours just don't like teenage boys, prejudice.

Have a word with my neighbours over the back of me then.

Every Saturday when the weather is like this they play music (I can hear the bass) till Midnight (prompt stop) and every now and again it turns into a loud party.

Again, stops at Midnight.

get a ring doorbell for the back of the house, that way if the neighbours call the police repeatedly it will mean you can show th police the footage of what is happening.

Teens playing in the garden is where they should be, away from screens, away from trouble in the street. Ask the police where would they be better, out on the street & you don't know where they are or in the back garden where you know where they are and can keep an eye on them?